Sheet-separating device in sheet counter used for a sheet counting mechanism

ABSTRACT

A sheet separating device used for a sheet counting mechanism in which sheets held in a stack are successively parted into another stack by a hollow suction plate which has a port and oscillates in a prescribed manner adjacent one edge of the stack of sheets, there is provided a sheet separating rod in side-by-side relationship with the suction plate. In relation with the oscillatory motion of the suction plate, the sheet separating rod is revolved around the same along a substantially oval path to avoid damaging each sheet being thus separated.

United States Patent [191 Onoe et a1.

SHEET-SEPARATING DEVICE IN SHEET COUNTER USED FOR A SHEET COUNTING MECHANISM Inventors: Katsuhiko Onoe; Mitsuyoshi Tanaka, both of Himeji, Japan Glory Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Himeji-shi, l-lyogo-ken, Japan Filed: Feb. 21, 1973 App]. No.: 334,484

Assignee:

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Feb. 22, 19.72 Japan 47-17734 US. Cl 235/98 R, 235/89, 271/90, 271/92, 271/93, 271/94, 271/100, 271/107, 221/22, 221/182, 221/211 Int. Cl. B611 1/16, (306m 7/00 Field of Search 235/98 R, 89; 271/90, 91, 271/92, 93, 94, 95, 96-108, 30, 31; 221/9,

Apr. 2, 1974 References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 2,689,730 9/1954 Tebbs 271/107 2,262,798 11/1941 Elliott 2,222,459 11/1940 Backhouse 271/92 Primary Examiner-Richard B. Wilkinson Assistant Examiner-Vit W. Miska Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Holman & Stem [57] 7 ABSTRACT A sheet separating device used for a sheet counting mechanism in which sheets held in a stack are successively parted into another stack by a hollow suction plate which has aport and oscillates in a prescribed manner adjacent one edge of the stack of 'sheets, there is provided a sheet separating rod in side-by-side relationship with the suction plate. In relation with the oscillatory motion of the suction plate, the sheet separating rod is revolved around the same along a substantially oval path to avoid damaging each sheet being thus separated.

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PRIOR ART 3 ATENTEDAPR 2m 3,801 777 sum 3 0F 3 I 4/ 3 f 1 v 1/ a w y v 3 Y. g 3 u a? d Ivar/Z Ill I. we It? BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to a sheet separating device used for a sheet counting mechanism, such as a counter for bank notes, tickets, cards and other sheets of paper or the like having a definite size (hereinafter referred to simply as sheets to mean all such countable objects). More specifically, the invention is directed to improvements in a device for successively separating the sheets held in a stack into another stack during a counting operation.

According to conventional-sheet separating means comparable to the device of this invention, there has been used a hollow suction plate which makes a substantially oscillatory motion along one edge of a stack of sheets to draw each foremost sheet away, in part, from the rest of the stack by virtue of suction exerted through a port formed therein. In tune with this oscillatory motion of the suction plate, a sheet separating member is caused to revolve around the same in order to separate each sheet drawn thereby into another stack. Because of the elliptical path traced by the sheet separating member, however, it has been likely to damage the sheet being separated or to carry more than one sheet into the other stack at one time, as referred to in more detail later in this specification.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide an improved sheet separating device for use in a sheet counting mechanism the type described, such that the possibility of damaging the sheets and the possibility of carrying several sheets away from the stack at one time are minimized.

' Another object of the invention is to provide a sheet separating device of the character referred to, which is positive and accurate in operation and yet simple and inexpensive in construction without planetary gearing or other complex mechanisms employed by some prior art devices.

With these objects in view and the other objects hereinafter' made apparent, the present invention provides, in a sheet separating device of the type having a suction plate which oscillates in a predetermined manner adjacent one edge of a stack of sheets for parting the successive sheets from the rest of the stack by suction, a

device for separating each parted sheet away from the.

suction plate to form another stack, comprising a sheet separating rod extending in side-by-side relationship with the suction plate, and means for causing the sheet -ity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and mode of operation, together with the further objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following de- 2 scription of a preferred embodiment read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of a sheet separating device constructed in accordance with the concepts of thisinvention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the suction mechanism;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the sheet separating device of FIG. 1 as seen from a different viewpoint;

FIG.-4 is a diagram explanatory of the operation of the sheet separating device of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a similar diagram explanatory of the operation of a prior art device comparable to this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION With particular reference to FIG. 1, a sheet separating device 1 illustrated therein as an example of a preferred embodiment of this invention includes a pair of parallel and spaced apart frame members 2 and 3. Both of these frame members are pivotally supported by a pivot rod or shaft 3a extending therethrough and supported in turn by a pair of bearing blocks 4 at both ends thereof. These bearing blocks are mounted on respective bracket members 5a which are both secured to another bracket member 5b. The bracket member 5b is secured to a support member 6, and a pair of parallel guide rods 7 extend vertically through the support member 6 with substantial clearance. The support member 6 is provided with a tapped hole extending vertically therethrough to receive a screw threaded shaft 8. Accordingly, as this screw threaded shaft 8 is turned by suitable means relative to the support member 6, the entire sheet separating device 1 is moved up and down as desired. 7

As best shown in FIGS, 2 and 3, the frame member 2 has a recess 9 at its front edge and is fixedly provided with a flat plate I0 for supporting a suction mechanism generally designated by the numeral 11. The suction mechanism 11 includes a hollow suction plate 12 which is provided with a port 13 to draw by suction the successive sheets A to be counted, as hereinafter set forth in further detail. One end of the suction plate 12 is secured eccentrically to a support disk 14, as will be apparent from FIG. I, and the disk 14 is detachably connected to another disk 16, as by means of a screw 15.

FIG. 2 best illustrates the disk 16 mounted eccentrically on one end of a hollow shaft 17 extending through the aforesaid plate 10 and having a fitting 18 on the other end for connecting a tube, not shown, for communication with a vacuum pump. The hollow shaft 17 is rotatably supported by a bearing 19 which is itself secured to the plate 10, and a lever 20 is fixed to the midportion of the hollow shaft 17 to impart oscillatory motion to the suction plate 12. The hollowed interior of the shaft 17 communicates with the hollowed interior of the suction plate 12 through the disk 14.

As seen in FIG. 3, a motor M is mounted between the frame members 2 and 3, and a pulley 22 is fixedly mounted on its output shaft 21 extending outwardly of the frame member 2. Another pulley 24 is fixedly mounted on a shaft 25 rotatably extending through the frame member 2, and an endless belt 23 is trained around these two terminal pulleys to impart rotation to the shaft 25. A disk 27 having a balancing weight 26 is also fixedly mounted on this shaft 25 in side-by-side relationship with the pulley 24. A link 28 is coupled eccentrically to the disk 27 at one end thereof, while the other end of this link is coupled to the above mentioned lever 20.

With reference to both FIGS. 1' and 3, a disk 30 is mounted on the other end of the shaft 25 through a bearing 32 supported by a frame member 31 which in turn may be supported by the frame member 2 through a plurality of bolts 33 with appropriate spacing therefrom. In this manner the frame member 31 and so forth are completely separated from the other frame member 3 inorder to facilitate loading operation of the stack of sheets A and also to permit the desired motion of a sheet separating rod 35 hereinafter described.

A rod 34 is coupled eccentrically to the disk 30 at one end thereof by a pin 34a so as to be turnable relative to the disk, and the other end of the rod 34 is secured to one end of the sheet separating rod 35 which extends horizontally or parallel to the suction plate 12. A lever 36 is turnably coupled at one end thereof to the rod 34 in a position intermediate between the two ends thereof and is further turnably pinned at 36a to the frame 3, with the lever 36 being thus adapted to regulate the motion of the sheet separating rod 35 in accordance with the novel concepts of this invention. A balancing weight is provided at 37 on the periphery of the disk 30.

Proceeding'to the description of a mode of operation of'this embodiment of the invention, constructed substantially as hereinbefore described, the rotation of the motor M is first transmitted through the pulley 22 and the belt 23 to the other pulley 24 and thence to the shaft 25, as may be seen from FIG. 3. The disks 27 and 30 on both ends of this shaft 25 are thus caused to rotate in one and the same direction. Therotation of the disk 27 is converted by the link 28 and the lever 20 into a bidirectional-rotation of the hollow shaft 17 and further into an oscillatory motion of the suction plate 12.

erence to FIGL4.

During the transition of the sheet separating rod 35,

the suction plate 12 and the rod 34 from their respective positions I to positions II, the sheet separating rod 35 is caused temporarily to move downwardly in adirection perpendicular to the plane of the stack of sheets A. Thus, the sheet which has been previously parted from the rest of the stack by the suction plate 12 is .pressed securely toward a stack of already separated sheets while the suction plate 12 isin its horizontal position, so that there is practically'no possibility of the front edge of each sheet being damaged during its separation from the suction plate 12.

After moving to the position II, the sheet separating rod 35 is caused by the lever 36 to travel along the upper surface of the suction plate 12, thereby unfailingly intervening between the second parted sheet and the remaining stack A toprevent two or more sheets from being separated therefrom at one time. By the repetition of the above described cycle of operation the number of the sheets held in the stack A is counted by means well known in the art.

The advantages gained by the device of this invention become all the more apparent when compared with the prior art method of sheet separation illustrated in FIG. 5 by way of example. As seen in the figure, the sheet separating member c of the prior art follows an elliptical path d around the suction plate a which is moving in a manner similar to the motion of the suction plate 12 in the above described embodiment of this invention. Such an ellipticalpath of travel is unsatisfactory in that-if the minor axis of the ellipsoid is too long, the sheet separating member 0 tends to separate two or more sheets at one time while traveling over the suction plate a. If the minor axisvof the ellipsoid is too short, on the other hand, the sheet separating member is very likely to damage the front edge of the short sheet b being parted from the rest of the stack A because then the member travels too close to the suction plate a. The difficulties thus involved 'in the adjustment of thiselliptical path of travel are altogether absent from the improved device of this invention, in which the course of travel of the sheet separating rod 35 is strictly regulated by the lever 36 and the link 34 coupled eccentricallyto the disk 30. I

Although the present invention has been shown and described 'hereinbefore in terms of a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be easy for those skilled in the art to device many modifications, substitutions and.

charges thereof.

We claim: I

1. A sheet separating device used for a sheet counting mechanism, said device comprising -a sheet sucking plate having a sheet sucking side-face, a shaft on which said sucking plate is pivoted so as to be oscillated around said shaft, said sucking side-face being approached during said oscillatory motion to a frontmost sheet of a sheet stack to be counted to thereby suck and bend said sheet, a sheet separating rod rotable around said sucking plate and movable between said sucked and bent sheet and the succeeding sheet of the sheet sheet and separation of said sucked sheet from the sucking side-face of the sheet sucking plate and a rod mechanism adapted to travel said sheet separating rod in a direction perpendicular to the face of the sheet stack when the sucked sheet is separated by the sheet separating rod.

I 2. The device according to claim 1, in which a means for causing said separating rod to rotate around said sucking plate comprises a disk fixedly mounted on a revolvable shaft, a link turnable coupled at one end thereof to one of the faces of said disk at a point offset from the axis of revolution thereof and extending paral- 3,801,777 6 lel to said disk, theother end of said link being rigidly tween both ends thereof. coupled to said sheet separating rod at right angles 3. The device according to claim 2, in which said therewith, and a lever turnably coupled at one end shaft is revolved by the same drive device as said sucthereof to a stationary part of the device and at the tion plate.

other end to said link in a position intermediate be- 5 

1. A sheet separating device used for a sheet counting mechanism, said device comprising a sheet sucking plate having a sheet sucking side-face, a shaft on which said sucking plate is pivoted so as to be oscillated around said shaft, said sucking side-face being approached during said oscillatory motion to a frontmost sheet of a sheet stack to be counted to thereby suck and bend said sheet, a sheet separating rod rotable around said sucking plate and movable between said sucked and bent sheet and the succeeding sheet of the sheet stack to separate said sucked sheet from said sucking side-face of the sucking plate, a driving device for driving said sheet sucking plate and sheet separating rod so that the oscillatory movement of the sheet sucking plate is preselected with respect to the rotating motion of said sheet separating rod to cause entering of said rod into between the sucked sheet and the succeeding sheet and separation of said sucked sheet from the sucking side-face of the sheet sucking plate and a rod mechanism adapted to travel said sheet separating rod in a direction perpendicular to the face of the sheet stack when the sucked sheet is separated by the sheet separating rod.
 2. The device according to claim 1, in which a means for causing said separating rod to rotate around said sucking plate comprises a disk fixedly mounted on a revolvable shaft, a link turnable coupled at one end thereof to one of the faces of said disk at a point offset from the axis of revolution thereof and extending parallel to said disk, the other end of said link being rigidly coupled to said sheet separating rod at right angles therewith, and a lever turnably coupled at one end thereof to a stationary part of the device and at the other end to said link in a position intermediate between both ends thereof.
 3. The device according to claim 2, in which said shaft is revolved by the same drive device as said suction plate. 